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Welcome to the Hawai‘i
Pacific Weed Risk Assessment Site

What is the Hawai‘i Pacific Weed Risk Assessment
(HPWRA)?It is a
screening tool to ask “background questions” about a plant before it is
imported or widely planted in Hawai‘i.

How does the HPWRA work? Botanists look up published and on-line information to answer 49 questions
about a plant’s biology, ecology & invasive tendencies elsewhere.The answers result in a score that
predicts whether a plant is likely to be invasive in Hawai‘i or other
tropical Pacific islands sharing a similar climate.

How accurate is the HPWRA? TheHPWRA is 95% accurate in catching the would-be invasive
plants and 85% accurate at identifying non-pests.

Does it cost anything to use? No. This is a free service to
anyone that imports, grows, or sells plants or is otherwise curious about
the potential behavior of particular plant. Funding for this program is provided by the Hawaii Invasive Species Council.

Am I required to use it? No. The HPWRA is voluntary for people
who want to avoid planting or growing potentially invasive species.

How can I get a plant screened by the HPWRA? To submit a plant
for screening, email the name of the plant to the HPWRA screener at hpwra@yahoo.com

How many plants have been screened by the HPWRA? More than 1900
plants have been screened to date. The updated list of completed assessments (available as a spreadsheet or pdf), as
well as information on propagation of native and non-invasive plants is also available at the Plant Pono website (http://www.plantpono.com/).